Category Archives: Vancouver

Post navigation

I’ve been trying to work out consistently for a long time. It wasn’t very successful before. I’m so into it at the start. But then bam, I’m back to not being motivated or just being frustrated with not seeing results. And then I stop.

Was is the problem, I kept asking myself? Why don’t I see results? Is it because I haven’t stuck with it long enough? Or is it that I’m not working out hard enough? Or am I working out too hard and then feeling too exhausted to go at it again? Or maybe I am just not using the right amount of weights? Maybe my workouts aren’t varied enough? Maybe the way that I’m working out is the problem, and even if I spend a couple of hours in the gym at a time over a long period of time, it wouldn’t make a difference?

Most people know me as a partner dancer. But from time to time, I’ve been sneaking away from the partner dance world to attend classes that I would have to do on my own. I wanted a class in which I wouldn’t be able to cheat by relying on my partner for balance, energy or to just initiate the movements. I wanted to improve my ability to find the feeling in my own body first, and to develop myself as an individual dancer. This was not to get away from the partner dancing world, but to help strengthen myself as a dancer, and bring this back into the dances I was already doing. I was thrilled to be able to find all this, plus a great cardio workout, through House Dance classes! And I wanted to share with you the lessons I have learned from them.

Of course, the concepts below can and should be learned throughout other dance styles, including the ones I was already doing. However, there was something about my taking myself out of the style and space I was used to that helped ingrain these lessons in me on a deeper and more conscious level. The House Dance classes made the concepts I should already “know” clearer. And this awareness has given me more confidence to understand them and apply them more intentionally to my other dances. Thank you, to my instructor Kyle Vicente and iDance Vancouver Studios, for these great lessons! Continue reading →

Where did you learn to dance? And which style of dance did you start with?

I started breakdancing nine years ago in Osaka, Japan. From the first time that I saw the amazing technique put in the dance, I was totally hooked. So, the next day, I went to a dance school to learn and I also practised on the street.

After I came to Canada, I just practised breakdancing first. I didn’t know Hustle at that time. But at some of the events, some of the dancers were doing hustle. I saw it and thought I really wanted to learn to dance it. Everyone looked like they were really enjoying it. So that’s what made me start dancing Hustle. Continue reading →

You started dance at a young age. Was dance something you chose yourself?

It was definitely not my choice. It was my parents’ decision, but at that time already, lots of kids were ballroom dancing. Since then, I think the interest of kids participating in ballroom dancing has grown even more so. I think the number of kids participating in ballroom dancing in the Ukraine, where I am from, is booming now.

Do you have a favorite dance?

I love Rumba- to teach, to dance, to live it.

Beautiful.

I love it when I see male dancers who are great role models for young boys. It’s sad that there seems to still be somewhat of a stigma around boys dancing. Did you ever have to deal with any friends or family having any sort of negative attitudes towards you dancing because you are a guy?

Not at all. I cannot recall even one instance when somebody showed a negative attitude towards me dancing. Even though most of my non-dancing male friends are very macho, they still have always respected and appreciated my dancing career. I do believe though, that in our life we attract people that would match us. Those that do not match us do not stay for too long. However, over the years that I’ve been dancing and teaching, I have seen numerous cases in which the idea of boys dancing has been regarded as being sissy or just not taken seriously. Continue reading →

I was always interested in dancing in general. And partner dancing came along for me about fifteen years ago. A friend asked me to go to a salsa night. I had no idea what to expect. We took the lesson. I thought it was pretty intense. I didn’t know what to do. And after that, the floor opened up for social dancing. I saw people were dancing together in a way that looked as if they already knew each other, like they were actually couples. But then when they finished the dance, they said thank you and then went their separate ways. And I thought how did that happen? How do they know how to dance with each other, without knowing each other? How do they know when to turn and what to do? That was my first exposure to partner dancing. And so I wanted to learn. Continue reading →

I really admire you for your strength and agility as a kickboxer, but also for being in a field that traditionally might have been thought more ‘suitable’ for men.

Did you find it hard to work your way up in kickboxing, especially as a female, in terms of having support and being taken seriously?

Staying at Champions Martial Arts Academy for all the years that I did- from being a novice student to becoming an instructor and employee- had its challenges. I would say it made it easier having female role models around me- such as Master Ingrid Katzberg and Sensei Anita Katzberg. These two sisters own and run the school (along with Master Farid Dordar). Their strength was so inspiring and motivating for me and thousands of other female students in the city.

Yes. I remember them being highly regarded throughout the school and community.

Yes, and Master Ingrid and Master Farid welcomed all genders to train and compete. I never felt any judgement from either one of them. The only challenges I encountered were from a minority of younger males who felt uncomfortable around me. I competed early on in my training years in eight tournaments and in five ring-fights and I was always the oldest female among the fight team. So that was tough in terms of judgment. And I later faced another challenge when I began instructing. Once again, some males found it difficult to be instructed by a female. This led me to train harder and to show them I am not as limited as they think. Of course now, after fifteen years of instructing, one builds a reputation and I have not had any issues with this in a long time.

What do you think makes some people believe in natural medicine and homeopathy, while others just would never even want to try it?

It’s hard to tell. Some people already find it easy to accept new concepts. In the beginning, I thought maybe that comes from their level of education. But I realized that that’s not the case.

For example, a couple of years ago, I had a patient. She asked me to see her husband. He’s a professor.

He had some insomnia case and lots of stress at work. So she convinced him, after many years of bugging him, to come here and to give me a chance (smiles).

He came in and he asked me, “So, Vladmir, how does this work?”

And I tried to explain it to him. But what do you say? Meridians? Chakras? How can someone believe in meridians and chakras if they are very scientific in their thinking? He wanted scientific proof that he could see, but it doesn’t work that way.

That must have been hard.

Well, for him it was hard. And for me, it was very hard, because we don’t have scientific proof. So I understood why he wouldn’t believe it. I tried my best to explain it to him. And eventually, he told me “Vlad, I am sorry, if you don’t have proof, I can’t accept that. It must not exist.” So, we just shook hands, and I never saw him again (smiles).

But a couple of months later, I get a janitor from the same university come in to my clinic.

She never heard about homeopathy. But she said, I really don’t even care how it works (smiles). My sister got better with it so I want to try it.

“In homeopathy, the personality of the individual determines their prescription,.. because Homeopathy understands that every person is different.“

————————–

I think some people might be surprised that you began your medical career with more conventional medicine.

Yes. In the beginning, I was a nurse.

I like that your grandma was one of the first to plant a seed for you very early on in terms of natural medicine.

Yes. She used to take me with her when she would pick plants and berries in the forest. She was around me until I was 16 or 17 years old. So it was a fair amount of time that I spent with her. (For more details about this story, please visit Dina’s Homeopathic)

And you had other people along the way who opened your eyes up to homeopathy?

Yes. It wasn’t just my grandmother’s influence that made me make my change from conventional medicine to homeopathy.

I finished nursing school, and then I went to the military for two years. The doctor who I worked with there was Russian Japanese. That was a third generation of people who used to practise acupuncture.

For the first time in my life, I saw someone using acupuncture. This man was a doctor in a hospital, but almost every day, I saw him treating different guys in the military using acupuncture. He practised acupuncture as he felt he needed. Continue reading →

I know you dance a few different styles of dance, but … is Zouk your favorite (smiles)?

Oooh that is a loaded question! Currently, yes, Zouk is my favourite. I guess that is pretty clear to people who have met me. (smiles)

What it is about Zouk that draws you to it?

When I think about what draws me to Zouk, I think first about what draws me to dance in general, and a few things come to mind. To me, dance is about passion, connection, emotion and technique. I was drawn to Zouk because it really resonated with me in those three areas which are important to me. I have found a new level of passion in myself and my dance through my journey so far in Zouk. I am passionate about the music, my personal development, the growth of the Zouk community, and I love learning more about myself and others through this dance. Continue reading →